Midway through the college football season there are plenty of things that make for good conversation: the always-debatable BCS poll, “BCS busters” like undefeated Utah and Boise State and coaches on the hot seat.
Florida head coach Ron Zook became the hot topic Monday.
Zook received the news of his firing, which will take effect at the end of the season, Monday in a meeting with Florida athletics director Jeremy Foley and school president Bernie Machen less than 48 hours after the Gators lost to the Bulldogs.
“Saturday’s loss was certainly a contributor,” Foley told the media at a press conference Monday afternoon. Foley said that Zook’s current staff being terminated was just a rumor.
“The new coach has the opportunity to retain those assistants,” Foley said.
Zook stepped up to the podium and gave a list of acknowledgements, but did not take any questions.
He became overwhelmed with emotion on several occasions when talking about the players.
“I want to thank all of our players,” Zook said and then paused trying to withhold tears. “Particularly the seniors.”
He even went to lengths of thanking the fans and the students, who have been on his case since his hire in 2002.
“I’ve always believed this is a special, special place,” the third year head coach said with his head down reading off of a handwritten document. “I want to thank the Florida people-the professors, students, the alumni and the fans in general who make this place so special.”
He finished his opening remarks with: “Right now the most important thing for me is to spend time getting our team ready to play a very very good Georgia team. The players deserve that; the fans deserve that.”
The Gators have four more games remaining on the schedule including a season finale versus Florida State.
Zook has never been accepted at Florida. A Web site promoting his firing got launched the day he was hired. Consecutive 8-5 seasons and consecutive losses in the Outback Bowl increased the flames. Zook’s Gators have lost to Florida State both years, been embarrassed by Miami in The Swamp and have not won the SEC East Championship.
Florida won the SEC East seven times since the SEC split into two divisions in 1992 to Steve Spurrier’s departure in 2001.
The Gators have three SEC losses, which puts them behind Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina in the East.
Zook has more losses in The Swamp (six) in two-and-a-half seasons than Spurrier did (five) in 12 years at Florida.
Now that he is off the hot seat, other coaches might be looking for fire extinguishers.
Kentucky’s Rich Brooks
Seat Warmth: Lukewarm.
Prior to his current position at UK, Brooks took the University of Oregon to only four bowl games in 18 years. Ho won 91 games at the helm of the Ducks from 1977-1994, but lost 110 games. After just a season and a half, his hire is as popular in the Bluegrass state as Kentucky’s loss to UAB in the second round of the NCAA basketball tournament last year.
Brooks inherited a 7-5 team and went 4-8 last year. This time the Wildcats began with a 28-0 loss to Louisville and fell to Ohio University 28-16.
Brooks is in the second season of a fully guaranteed five-year contract that pays him $725,000 annually. UK would owe him $2.175million if he were fired after this season.
Illinois’ Ron Turner
Seat Warmth: Beads of sweat are rolling off of the forehead.
Just three seasons ago Illinois head coach Ron Turner led the Illini to an outright Big Ten Championship and a birth in the Sugar Bowl, but since the 2001 season, Illinois has gone 8-23, including 4-17 in conference play. Last year the Illini went 1-11.
This season Illinois’ only wins have come against Florida A&M (52-13) and Western Michigan (30-27). They have lost five straight Big Ten games just this year.
Turner’s contract currently lasts until 2007, which is quite odd since most schools like to limit coaches to a four-year cushion.
Syracuse’s Paul Pasqualoni
Seat Warmth: A new seat is required, the prior one burned. Pasqualoni is in his 14th season as head coach of Syracuse. He has amassed an impressive 135-70-1 record over the past 13 seasons. After he took the Orange to six bowl games between 1996-2001, Syracuse has missed bowl games for the past two seasons and in 2002 (4-8) he had his first losing season in his tenure there.
When Miami and Virginia Tech departed the Big East for the ACC, Syracuse was predicted to win or at least be competitive in the Conference. But after a 51-0 opening loss to Purdue, two wins over less than mediocre programs (Buffalo and Cincinnati), the Orange has lost to FSU andVirginia.
Pasqualoni is on contract until 2006 with a base salary of $700,000.
North Carolina’s John Bunting
Seat Warmth: Small forest fire.
In a short time, his seat has turned into a burning furnace over the past two miserable seasons. In his first year as head coach (2001) Bunting led the Tar heels to an 8-5 record, including a Peach Bowl victory over Auburn. In 2002 the Tar Heels finished 3-9 and in 2003 that record stooped to 2-10.
The Tar Heels have been embarrassed this season by Florida State, Louisville, Virginia and Utah.
In order to reach the minimum six wins to qualify for a bowl invitation North Carolina has to win three of their remaining four games against Miami, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Duke. Bunting has three seasons left on his contract.